Color strings differently than other value types

[khepler]

I would like the ability to color values of type string differently than values of other types. This would make obvious which values are strings with concealment enabled.

For example, this is GitHub's JSON highlighting:

{
    "key1":"1.0",
    "key2":1.0
}

[Dr-Emann]

👍 This is the only thing keeping me from using concealment

[elzr]

This took long enough but it's finally here! Since the beginning these different value types were being recognized and tagged appropriately in the syntax file, as Number and Boolean. But apparently most color schemes don't have distinct colors for them. I despaired of how to solve this in a general way for a long time, finally I just ended up tagging numbers and booleans as Delimiter. It's hackish but it works.

[bobifle]

FYI the commit is not on master, or has been reverted. I had to change the syntax file to change numbers and bools to Delimiter.

[ctranstrum]

As mentioned above, this change has been reverted. While updating the syntax file to set numbers and bools to Delimiter is a solution that works universally and might be a good solution for this package's defaults, it feels a tiny bit hacky to me, and a more correct solution, albeit one that relies on end-user configuration, seems to be simply to update either your colorscheme or your .vimrc to color String, Number, and Boolean differently.

For example, add something like this to ~/.vimrc:

highlight String ctermfg=green
highlight Number ctermfg=blue
highlight Boolean ctermfg=magenta

Maybe it would be a good idea if a tip along these lines could be added to the documentation.

[poetaman]

@ctranstrum A better option is to add it in json.vim file ~/.vim/ftplugin/json.vim with all other shenanigans needed for it to work with indentLine plugin, and maybe more...

highlight String ctermfg=green
highlight Number ctermfg=blue
highlight Boolean ctermfg=magenta

" Multiple folding recipes to not open in folded mode
" au BufRead * normal zR
" set foldlevel=99
setlocal foldmethod=syntax
set foldlevel=99

" etc

[juanMarinero]

Quick testing json:

{
  "bool": true,
  "string": "500",
  "integer, NOT a string": 500,
  "null value": null,
  "error": Error,
  "to do": TODO,
  "array": [ "John", "Peter" ],
  "object": { "name": "John", "age": 30 }
}

Maybe useful too:

highlight Normal ctermfg=grey
highlight Function ctermfg=darkred  " Null value
highlight Error ctermfg=red

[juanMarinero]

I think it should be jsonConstant, jsonBoolean, etc. like here https://github.com/elzr/vim-json/blob/master/syntax/json.vim#L103; not just Constant, Boolean, etc. because that overwrites all filetype syntax-es (or I suffer it if I code it in ~/.vim/ftplugin/json.vim as soon as I open a json file).

[juanMarinero]

To edit the ~/.vim/ftplugin/json.vim is the more Vim-ish way, as @poetaman suggested, though it does not work to me (Vim 9.1 nor in NVIM v0.11.1), for example :highlight jsonNumber still echoes jsonNumber xxx links to Number, which should NOT since ~/.vim/ftplugin/ should load after all plugins.

I tried to clear the link (hi clear) and to force it (hi!) but still no success

hi clear jsonNumber
hi! jsonNumber ctermfg=red

Since :hi jsonNumber still echoes jsonNumber xxx links to Number, and :hi Number echoes Number xxx links to Constant I added highlight! Constant ctermfg=red in ~/.vim/ftplugin/json.vim but :highlight Constant still echoes Constant xxx term=underline ctermfg=37 guifg=#2aa198

So no success, Constant here I guess it refers that it's linked (chained), since syntax/json.vim has hi def link jsonNumber Number.

Overwritten the links (to hi! link ... NONE) neither work:

hi! clear jsonNumber
hi! link Number NONE
hi! link jsonNumber NONE
hi! jsonNumber ctermfg=red
hi! Number ctermfg=red

I conclude that the plugin is [somehow] re-/loaded AFTER ~/.vim/ftplugin/json.vim.

Maybe #104 is related:

#42 concluded that ftplugin/json.vim is necessary, but I propose it is not

---

Anyhow, next workaround works to me.

In your .vimrc add next line after loading the colorscheme-plugin (edit <path>):
autocmd VimEnter *.json source <path>/highlights.vim
where <path>/highlights.vim is for example:

highlight! jsonNumber  ctermfg=21             guifg=#0000ff
highlight! jsonBoolean ctermfg=163 cterm=bold guifg=#d700ff gui=bold
highlight! jsonNull    ctermfg=16  cterm=bold guifg=#000000 gui=bold

Results:

conceallevel=0	conceallevel=2